Pundits have been predicting that 2008 won’t be kind to auto manufacturers. But a quick tour of the year’s first two major auto shows — the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the Chicago Auto Show — demonstrates that manufacturers plan to do anything but pull in their horns. (And when it comes to Chrysler, we can say that quite literally, since its Detroit show press event featured a full-on cattle drive.) Read more . . .

Reducing fuel consumption is good conservation policy, good environmental policy, and in these times of rising gas prices it’s also good economic policy. The key is to find and apply methods that conserve fuel without putting people at greater risk in collisions because their more efficient vehicles aren’t as crashworthy.

The problem is that these choices have compromised safety. Smaller, lighter vehicles generally are less protective Read more . . .

Now that gasoline pricesare reaching record levels in many regions of the country, people are beginning to panic. No, it’s not a “War of the Worlds” scenario with citizens running into the streets screaming, but people are upset. Happily, there are things you can do to reduce your fuel cost outlay. The Alliance to Save Energy offers consumers these tips to cut gasoline use and protect their pocketbooks: Read more . . .

With gas prices exceeding two dollars a gallon in many parts of the country, the Car Care Council is offering gas-saving maintenance and driving tips that really work.

“Millions of dollars worth of gasoline is wasted every day by motorists, because simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance is neglected,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “Loose or missing gas caps, under-inflated tires, worn spark plugs, and dirty air filters all contribute to poor fuel economy.”

Fuel-saving tips

It’s clean and it’s cheap, so why not use it? That’s the question that has to be asked about natural gas, which has gone largely unnoticed and under-utilized as a vehicle fuel. But that may be changing. A company called Hybrid Fuel Systems has launched a new system designed to convert truck and bus diesels to natural gas.

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“As truckers and bus operators throughout the world realize that high diesel fuel prices are here to stay, people are looking for practical systems to reduce diesel fuel costs without replacing Read more . . .